Wake Forest Recruiting: Mid-August Updates for Basketball and Football

We're getting to that time of year where the anticipation for football and absence of prominent Wake Forest news are overlapping at alarming rates. Fortunately, some weeks throughout the summer feature exciting recruiting stories to keep us entertained until the boys in B&G are officially back on TV. While there weren't any "BREAKING NEWS" type updates this week on the recruiting trail, there are some things I'd like to keep you updated on as we head into the halfway point of August. Here are some of the highlights from the week and what to look out for in the coming days.

Wake Forest Football Recruiting

The 2018 Demon Deacon recruiting class currently ranks 56th in the country with a total of 15 members. 3* DB Kenneth Dicks was a huge pickup towards the end of July, with an offer list and SPARQ rating that far outweighs his ranking on most sites. As it stands, Wake Forest currently has 5 commits ranked 5.6 or higher on Rivals.com, which is one more than they had in 2016 and 2015 respectively. There is still room for that number to grow of course, with likely 3-4 more spots still available and multiple talented prospects seriously considering Wake.

Kendall Williamson is a 3* DB who visited Wake at the end of July and was originally looking to make a decision by mid-August. That timeline seems to have been pushed back, likely because of a Stanford offer he received right after his trip to Winston-Salem. Williamson is a 4.0 student and has said numerous times he wants to go to the school that he can find the best academic and athletic fit. David Shaw is incredibly selective on who he extends scholarships to, and if he is indeed prioritizing Williamson at this point it might be bad news for the Deacs. Getting him back on campus for an official visit at some point this season is a must if the staff wants to earn his commitment.

Shamar Jones is a target Dave Clawson seems to be very interested in at this stage of the recruiting cycle. The 6'1, 270lbs DL from Pennsylvania was offered on August 10 and received another WF package this weekend that he tweeted out. Jones has offers from Indiana, USF, ECU, and Toledo, with both Power 5 offers coming this month. He was The Opening DL MVP at an event earlier this year and his tape definitely shows skill and power that exceeds his current ranking on scouting sites. Keep an eye out for Jones over the coming weeks and any potential visit plans. My guess is the staff will try and bring him in for one of the home games where multiple current commits are scheduled to attend.

Wake Forest Basketball Recruiting

The Jaylen Hoard to Wake vibes continue to trend in the right direction on 247sports' Crystal Ball. The Deacs now have 7 predictions for the talented top 30 SF out of Wesleyan Christian Academy, after two more went Wake's way this weekend from Andrew Slater and a Duke insider at 247. The most Crystal Ball predictions I could find for a Wake Forest commit ever was Mitchell Wilbekin with 4. Needless to say, things are looking great for the Deacs in this recruitment and let's keep our fingers crossed good news is around the corner.

Last week 3* PF Nate Roberts scheduled his official visit for 9/29-10-1 and confirmed Wake Forest was in his final 5. When asked about what he liked about the program, he said “Even though they came a little late they’ve shown genuine care for me. Coach Jones and I have had a strong relationship over the years since I was going into my 9th-grade year back when he was with VCU. Coach Manning is a legendary coach and player in this game that has played my position, so that’s great to have on your side.” Any qualms you had about Jones' AAU ties or Manning's name recognition having an impact in recruiting should fly out the window based on that quote. Syracuse, Nebraska, Washington, and UConn are the other schools that round out his final 5.

It's important to note that as it stands, Mucius and Devoe are planning on taking official visits two weeks before Roberts. Wake is Mucius' last OV and he could make his final decision shortly thereafter, whereas Devoe has one planned to Florida on October 7th and likely will wait to see what his hometown school has to offer. This class very well could come down to Roberts and Devoe for the last spot, and the staff would be in an interesting position of either prioritizing by position for spot #4, or letting whoever calls first take the scholarship. Another name to follow throughout all of this is Tyrese Samuel, who's recruitment has blown up recently with offers from Vanderbilt, TCU, Wichita, and UConn. He'll be visiting as well in the coming weeks, though I haven't been able to confirm an official date yet.

Finally, Wake made the Top 11 for 5* Combo Guard Ayo Dosunmu last week as well, which at face value doesn't really tell us anything new considering he's mentioned us as one of his top schools for the last 3 months. It isn't until you read his actual quotes about each school that you realize we actually might have a shot here. When asked about Wake, he said “Coach Manning; so much knowledge there, former pro, knows both ends of the game. Coach Manning has a genuine love for the game and the growth and development of his players.” Manning's presence again is a huge factor here, and it doesn't hurt that he can point to John Collins' growth as a major tool in recruiting pitches from now on.

Expect Dosunmu to cut his list down to probably a Top 5 by the end of the month with Wake, Kansas, Xavier, Creighton, and Illinois to be on it. Official visits should be set by September 1 as well, and I wonder if Manning will look to bring Dosunmu in the same weekend as Mucius and Devoe to pitch the trio together. And just in case you were wondering, a four man class of Sharone Wright Jr, Jaylen Hoard, Isaiah Mucius, and either Ayo Dosunmu/Mike Devoe would undoubtedly finish Top 15 in the nation and could be Top 10. That team would be nationally ranked to start the year and is probably competing for an ACC title in 2018/19. So yeah, the Home Run potential is huge for this class.

That's all for this week's recruiting update. The BSD Recruit Report Podcast will officially be back this Sunday with Whit and I, plus former Wake Forest O-Lineman Taylor Chambers as our guest. As always, send in any Q's you want answered on the show later in the week on Twitter @DeacFan3 and be sure to stay tuned for any new recruiting updates until then. Thanks for reading everybody and Go Deacs!